The present invention relates to aqueous solutions of maltodextrin and particularly to such solutions which are stable for at least a month or longer.
Maltodextrins are widely used in food products, particularly as a bodying agent for food or as an extender for sweeteners. Maltodextrins are made by hydrolysis of starch followed by enzymatic secondary acid conversion of the hydrolysate to produce maltodextrin having a D.E. of about 20 or less. Several maltodextrins are available commercially, most of which are sold as a solid, dried, product. The solid product is typically obtained by spray-drying an aqueous slurry or syrup of the maltodextrin.
For many uses, an aqueous maltodextrin product is desirable and several attempts have been made to provide such products. However, the aqueous maltodextrin solutions that have been made in the past have been unstable, both with respect to the development of haze which is accompanied by an increase in viscosity and eventual solidification, and to contamination with microorganisms, particularly molds and yeasts. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,974,034 discusses the development of haze in these products and discloses that three days is a long time for storage thereof. The patent goes on to disclose the use of oxidized starch as a starting material for producing maltodextrin and reports products which are free of haze after 60 days, 75 days, or the like. However, despite the presence of sodium bisulfite, the haze-free products showed mold growth and were discarded.
Prior attempts to prevent mold and yeast contamination by the addition of anti-mycotic agents have not been successful for various reasons, notably the introduction of off-taste and flavor when an anti-mycotic agent is used at a level sufficient to be effective.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an aqueous solution of maltodextrin which is stable against molds and yeast for a long period of time. It is a further object to provide such stable solutions without the need of special starting materials or of special methods of manufacturing maltodextrins. It is still a further object to provide such stable solutions using as a starting material a conventional maltodextrin slurry or syrup of the type conventionally used to make a stable dried maltodextrin product. It is a further object to provide such stable solutions using readily available materials, equipment and techniques. It is still a further object to provide such stable solutions using any desired maltodextrin product said product having a solids content of less than 75%.